Samir Singh's awe-inspiring feat of running 9,964 km for India was made possible by his unique lifestyle.

You might or might not remember a certain movie called Forrest Gump, where a man ran across the country in search of his soulmate, but everybody in India now knows Samir Singh--the Indian Faith Runner who completed a long run of 9,964 kms in 100 days.

Singh's target was to finish 10,000 kms in 100 days, but he fell short by 36 kms due to exhaustion and illness. Nevertheless, his awe-inspiring feet took Mumbai, and then the rest of the country, by storm. This was more so because he did not run for anything but his country.

Picture courtesy: Facebook/The Faith Runner

What we found even more inspiring about Singh's achievement was that he began without any equipment, training or the kind of nutrition that goes into making a sportsman strong.

And while his supporters in Mumbai made sure he had proper shoes and a few other things to complete his Herculean task, his diet more or less remained the same.

Picture courtesy: Facebook/The Faith Runner

"I have always had a simple diet. I like protein juice, daal (pulses), chawal (rice) and boiled potatoes. Sattvik food is important - it can increase our age. It is written in our holy scriptures, in the Geeta. That's all I needed to eat and that's all I ate," he told India Today in an interview.

For those who don't know, the sattvik diet has been around for ages. While most people in India follow it during the bi-annual Navratras, Singh chooses to follow it all-year through.

The diet, recommended by ayurveda, consists of foods that naturally heal the body and provide all the energy we need.

Picture courtesy: Facebook/The Faith Runner

Singh not only follows this diet full of the simplest-yet-nutritious things, but also does not depend on snacks or energy drinks. "I wanted to run and stop just to drink a little coconut water," he said. "The thrill of running and the thrill of hardships. It gave me a lot of joy thinking about it," he added.

That Singh was able to finish this feat despite the Mumbai rains, traffic and heat, proves that his diet actually works.